Andrea Dovizioso, who enjoyed a strong opening round in Qatar but struggled at Jerez, is to use the latest RCV chassis in this weekend's French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
The Italian has strong form in previous seasons at Le Mans having won the 125cc race in 2004 and notched up five consecutive podium finishes between 2003 and 2007 in 125s and 250s.
Last year, Dovizioso finished fourth after a late pass by Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa.
“I'm looking forward to racing at Le Mans this weekend,” said Dovizioso. “It's a circuit that I like and where I always tend to get good results so I'm confident for this race. After the improvements we found during the Monday test in Jerez, I think we will be very competitive.
“In fact we will use the new chassis we tested in
Jerez and I'm very positive about our potential.
“Le Mans is a slow racetrack. It looks easy on paper but in reality it's quite a tricky place to interpret, and riding at maximum pace is a good challenge. There are many variations of camber and elevation changes that make things difficult - and this is what I like about it.
“Last year I fought for the podium and I lost out on the very last lap so my motivation is high for this race. I'm confident we can fight with the front riders this year.”